From Veterinary Medicine to Children’s Books with Dr. Jen Cole

What happens when you’ve built the career you thought you wanted… and realize you might be ready for something completely different? Dr. Jen Cole spent more than 25 years in veterinary medicine, built two veterinary practices with her husband, raised three children, and eventually made the decision to step away from hospital life. But she wasn’t done with veterinary medicine. Today, Jen is the author of the Rooster and Squid children’s book series, using storytelling to teach kids about animals, veterinary medicine, and how they can become better advocates for their own pets. In this episode, we talk about knowing when it’s time to move on, separating who you are from what you do, building a career alongside a family, and giving yourself permission to figure out what comes next. We also get into some of the harder lessons Jen learned during 25+ years in practice: firing clients, letting go of team members who are hurting your culture, realizing that nobody is irreplaceable (including the owners), and learning that your hospital can continue to thrive without you. Jen shares what retirement actually felt like after decades of being a veterinarian and practice owner, why she gave herself six months before saying yes to anything new, and how that space eventually led her to an entirely new creative career. Then we dive into Rooster and Squid: why Jen believes kids can be some of the best advocates for their pets, how she learned to write and publish children's books, what she thinks about AI and human creativity, and what she's building next. Most importantly, this conversation is a reminder that there isn't just one way to have a career in veterinary medicine. You can practice, own, lead, work part-time, raise a family, move into industry, create something completely new, or reinvent your career altogether. Your career can change. Your impact doesn’t have to. In this episode • Knowing when it’s time to step away from clinical practice • Separating your identity from being a veterinarian • Why Jen gave herself six months after retirement before deciding what came next • Building veterinary practices while raising a family • Being physically present versus actually being present with the people you love • Why it’s okay to fire clients • Letting go of people who are negatively affecting your hospital culture • Why “nobody is irreplaceable” can actually be a healthy leadership lesson • The many different ways to build a career in veterinary medicine • Turning 25+ years of veterinary experience into children's stories • Why kids can be powerful advocates for their pets • Writing, illustrating, and publishing the Rooster and Squid series • AI, authorship, and the value of human creativity • Jen’s upcoming search-and-rescue series inspired by veterinary emergency response work Connect with Dr. Jen Cole Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roosterandsquid/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553831672190 LinkedIn (Jen Cole, DVM): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-cole-dvm-208b642a1/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/roosterandsquid/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@roosterandsquid ​YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RoosterandSquid Lucid Books (Dr. Cole's Publisher) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_books/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucidbookspublishing/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucid-books Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lucidbookspub/ X: https://x.com/Lucid_Books Choose People Love Pets is the veterinary culture podcast exploring leadership, workplace culture, career possibilities, and the people working to build a brighter future for veterinary medicine. People. Culture. A Brighter Vet Med.